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Alstom Power Systems GmbH, Mannheim, plans, builds and sells worldwide fossil-fuelled power plants and turbines. Mannheim provides power plant modernisation, gas and combined cycle power plants, and engineering and control systems.
Alstom was significantly involved in the construction of the new Rheinhafen steam power station 8 of EnBW in Karlsruhe. The new coal-fired power station was part of a highly efficient and environmentally friendly energy supply. At this plant, the heat exchanger had to be dismounted for a special technical examination.
The heat exchanger, weighing 196 tons and extending 12.5 metres high and 4.2 metres wide, had to be lifted and moved safely. A special transporting mechanism had to be built to move the unit, requiring a strong crane that could manoeuvre quickly and reliably.
Konecranes executed the transportation of the heat exchanger within a few days with a turbine hall crane. In order for the crane to lift the heat exchanger safely, Konecranes built a lifting beam according to the exact dimensions of the tank. The lifting beam was made of steel, weighed about 10 tons and had two lifting lugs.
The heat exchanger was lifted by the crane – free-floating — 36 metres high and transported along the crane runway for about 100 metres, before being turned 90 degrees in the air and then placed flat on its side in the support close to the ground.
Konecranes required only three and a half weeks from assignment, including planning and the special design of the cross beam, to the execution of the transport. The smooth transport of the heat exchanger took only eight hours.
“Based on our extensive experience, it became clear quite early that only Konecranes can execute this kind of transportation. What convinced us in particular were the planning and the implementation performance. The short-term nature of the project and the quick manufacturing of the special lifting beam were a challenge for all those involved. This proves that Konecranes is able to complete any assignment, even the most difficult ones, quickly, flexibly and very reliably,” says turbine hall site manager Gary Schwarz.